Patent document 1: JP-A-2002-518242
Patent document 2: JP-A-2004-148990
Patent document 3: JP-A-2004-149070
An electric power steering apparatus is for facilitating the manual steering of a steering wheel by adding a torque based on the rotation of an output rotating shaft of an electric motor to a torque based on the rotation of the steering wheel which is manually operated. In such an electric power steering apparatus, the steering shaft on the steering wheel side and the rotating shaft on the output rotating shaft side of the electric motor are coupled by means of a shaft coupling mechanism (a coupling).
In the case where the steering shaft and the rotating shaft are coupled by means of the shaft coupling mechanism, there is a possibility that an impact at the time of the reversing of the output rotating shaft of the electric motor and the vibration of the brushes of the electric motor are transmitted to the steering wheel through the shaft coupling mechanism and the steering shaft, thereby causing an unpleasant steering feel to the driver. To avoid this, it has been proposed to provide a spacer made of such as rubber or soft resin for the shaft coupling mechanism.